The present invention relates generally to a rack mount apparatus that accommodates plural electronic apparatuses so that each electronic apparatus can be drawn from and inserted into a housing of the rack mount apparatus, and more particularly to a mounting mechanism and method for mounting an electronic apparatus in the rack mount apparatus. The present invention is suitable, for example, for a mounting mechanism used to mount in a rack mount apparatus a disc array storage that installs plural hard disc drive (“HDD”) units.
A disc array storage that removably installs plural HDD units has recently been proposed so as to realize a large-capacity external storage (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 2004-54967). The disc array storage allows only a target HDD unit that requires maintenance, to be exchanged while keeping a running state of the entire apparatus, and also includes a fixing mechanism that prevents unintentional ejections of the HDD unit(s) from the disc array storage due to vibrations, etc. A rack mount apparatus that is mounted with plural disc array storages in a rack mount manner is also known (see, for example, Fujitsu Japan, Product Lineup, ETERNUS, http://storage-system.fujitsu.com/jp/products/, searched on Jun. 21, 2005). Such a rack mount apparatus requires the improved operability in mounting the disc array storage in and detaching the disc array storage from the rack mount storage.
Other prior art include Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 11-330743.
The conventional disc array storage is screwed onto a rack mount apparatus, and each HDD unit is inserted into the disc array storage ejectably through a front surface of the disc array storage. However, in order to meet with the recent demand for the large capacity by increasing the installation density of the HDD units, the instant inventor has studied a structure that makes the disc array storage drawable from the rack mount apparatus, and opens the top surface of the disc array storage so that plural HDD units in a matrix can be inserted into and ejected from the disc array storage along the height direction of the disc arrays storage. In this case, if the rack mount apparatus has a mechanism that projects from and retreats into the housing of the rack mount apparatus, and the disc array storage is fixed (e.g., screwed) onto the mechanism, the disc array storage can be drawn from the rack mount apparatus. One known mechanism applicable to this purpose is a slide rail disclosed in Takachiho Koheki Co., Ltd., Products and Service, Mechanical Component Product, Slide Rail 5800 Series, http://www.takachiho-kk.co.jp/products/mechanical/slide/5800.html, searched on Jun. 21, 2005.
In order to fix the disc array storage onto the above slide rails and mount the disc array storage in the rack mount apparatus, it is necessary to hold the disc array storage relative to a pair of slide rails so that the pair of slide rails are arranged in place relative to both side surfaces of the disc array storage, and then to screw the slide rails onto the disc array storage. However, it is difficult to screw the slide rails onto the disc array storage while holding the disc array storage in place relative to the slide rails. This difficulty increases, as the disc array storage is heavier than 60 kg due to the high installation density of the HDD units.